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Can Peppermint Improve Athletic Performance?






Now, you can overdose on the stuff, but a few drops shouldn’t be toxic. Why not get the best of both worlds by blending fresh mint leaves in water rather than use the oil?

Sometimes aromatherapy alone may actually help, though:


I use peppermint in my Pink Juice with Green Foam recipe and talk about using the dried in Antioxidants in a Pinch. It can also help reduce IBS symptoms, as seen in Peppermint Oil for Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Some other tea caveats, though:

In health,

Michael Greger, M.D.



Michael Greger M.D., FACLM


13 responses to “Can Peppermint Improve Athletic Performance?

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  1. Great reminders of how good a simple addition of peppermint can be! What was the level at which estrogenic effects begun to kick in though? I believe Dr. G covered some evidence regarding an upper limit of peppermint tea drinking.

  2. Very interesting article – ty Dr Greger! I was on proton pump inhibitors for severe GERD for 9(!) yrs and was told to avoid all things minty, among other things. When I switched to wfpb a couple of years ago, I was able to stop the ppi meds within a month. I am tempted to try out the minty water.. wonder if it would have negative impact now? I will report back my experience

    @Dylan , this link has some discussion of the hormonal effects of mint tea

    1. My understanding is that peppermint contains a compound that actually decreases the strength of the lower esophageal “sphincter”, leading to upward leakage of stomach acid. I’ve heard they sometimes give it to people about to undergo colonoscopies, etc. to stop cramping and relax the muscles of the colon.

  3. Improve your athletic performance, add some antioxidants, and get some good tasting fresh vegies/herbs. For a small amount each day, I don’t see a downside. PLus it’s very easy to grow (perhaps too easy) in the garden. John S

  4. Hey Doc, been following you a few months now. Slowing increasing my vegan/vegetarian lifestyle. Have noticed a decrease in body weight. 6’0 (175-178 lbs) to 170 lbs. Scared to completely cut out meat due to losing even more weight. If there’s anything you would recommend to keep me at 175, that would be great! Keep up the good work!

    1. Maybe the 5 lbs lost is fat, in which case that’s a good thing. If you’re eating an equivalent caloric intake without meat and doing some resistance training I don’t see there’s a problem.

      When I went plant based nearly 8 years ago, I lost about 5lbs in a few weeks, despite lifting weights and eating lots. I think it was some deeper fat storez/tissue being purged along with some intestinal matter being finally removed by all the extra fibre etc. Conjecture of course, but that’s what I think.

      I returned to the same weight advert a few months and have been the same ever since.

      Go for it, your body will thank you

    2. Hi, Sha. I am Christine, a NF volunteer. To keep your weight from decreasing more than you would like, increase your overall calorie intake while maintaining a balanced diet. If your energy and nutrient needs are being met, your body should settle on a healthy weight and maintain it. If this does not happen, then you should see your doctor do determine if there is a medical reason for your continued weight loss.

    3. You must increase your starch to keep a healthy weight. Go ahead, cut out all meat and oils and add enough starch such as potatoes, brown rice, beans, lentils, etc. Watch the video Starch Solution by Dr. John McDougall on youtube. You’ll know what I mean.

  5. 2 questions:
    1) I know Dr. Greger recommends using peppermint leaves instead of the essential oil but the experiment cited in this article uses the oil so can I assume it’s safe at the 1 drop level in the experiment? [All of the peppermint essential oils I’ve researched say they are for topical use only, not consumption but maybe a single drop per day is OK?]

    2) This paper indicates that the peppermint oil drinks also lowered the athletes’ blood pressure. I have slightly elevated BP so I’m thinking about trying this. However, other websites say that peppermint exacerbates high blood pressure. Does Dr. Greger have any knowledge as to which is likely to be correct?


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